Indeed, they always found themselves in agreement with the one who was speaking at the moment.

实际上，他们总是发现，讲话的是谁，他们就会同意谁的。

At last the day came when Snowball's plans were completed.

终于熬到了这一天，斯诺鲍的设计图完成了。

At the Meeting on the following Sunday the question of whether or not to begin work on the windmill was to be put to the vote.

在紧接着的星期天大会议上，是否开工建造风车的议题将要付诸表决。

When the animals had assembled in the big barn, Snowball stood up and, though occasionally interrupted by bleating from the sheep,

当动物们在大谷仓里集合完毕，斯诺鲍站了起来，尽管不时被羊的咩咩声打断，

set forth his reasons for advocating the building of the windmill.

他还是提出了他热衷于建造风车的缘由。

Then Napoleon stood up to reply.

接着，拿破仑站起来反驳。

He said very quietly that the windmill was nonsense and that he advised nobody to vote for it, and promptly sat down again.

他非常隐讳地说风车是瞎折腾，劝告大家不要支持它，就又猛地坐了下去。

He had spoken for barely thirty seconds, and seemed almost indifferent as to the effect he produced.

他仅仅讲了不到半分钟，似乎显得有点说不说都一个样。

At this Snowball sprang to his feet, and shouting down the sheep, who had begun bleating again, broke into a passionate appeal in favor of the windmill.

这时，斯诺鲍跳了起来，喝住了又要咩咩乱叫的羊，慷慨陈词，呼吁大家对风车给予支持。

Until now the animals had been about equally divided in their sympathies, but in a moment Snowball's eloquence had carried them away.

在这之前，动物们因各有所好，基本上是平均地分成两派，但在顷刻之间，斯诺鲍的雄辩口才就说得他们服服贴贴。

In glowing sentences he painted a picture of Animal Farm as it might be when sordid labor was lifted from the animals' backs.

他用热烈的语言，描述着当动物们摆脱了沉重的劳动时动物庄园的景象。

His imagination had now run far beyond chaff-cutters and turnip-slicers.

他的设想此时早已远远超出了铡草机和切萝卜机。

Electricity, he said, could operate threshing machines, ploughs, harrows, rollers, and reapers and binders,

他说，电能带动脱粒机、犁、耙、碾子、收割机和捆扎机，

besides supplying every stall with its own electric light, hot and cold water, and an electric heater.

除此之外，还能给每一个窝棚里提供电灯、热水或凉水，以及电炉等等。

By the time he had finished speaking, there was no doubt as to which way the vote would go.

他讲演完后，表决会何去何从已经很明显了。

But just at this moment Napoleon stood up and, casting a peculiar sidelong look at Snowball,

就在这个关头，拿破仑站起来，怪模怪样地瞥了斯诺鲍一眼，

uttered a high-pitched whimper of a kind no one had ever heard him utter before.

把了一声尖细的口哨，这样的口哨声以前没有一个动物听到他打过。